Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-11-23
Mistellameo,,s. .8eaaimg.
PRINTED PAGES REPRODUCED.

The English edition of an encyclo-
padia is being reproduced entire, in
exact facsimile, without a line of
type being set. The process by which
it is being done, like many other
inventions of the kind, is extremely
simple, and yet requires such deli
cacy in handling that it has taken
years of careful experimenting to
bring it to its present state of per-
fection. The 10000 pages and the
thousands of illustrations making up
the encyclopaedia are being repro
duced by just this miXture-plain,
common gelatine, such as you use at
home in your cooking. Nothing
more, except a few chemicals, ordi-
nary brushes that can be bought any
where for quarter, and nothing
less.
The idea of the "washout" gela-
tine is not a new one. 1t certainly
dates back q dozen years. But it
was in 1884 that the patent under
which the encyclopaedia is being re-
produced was at first obtained. But
then it was not practical. In two
or three years several different own
ers of the patent found it an elephant
on their hands, and because they
could not work it practically-in 9TH
er words, "to make money out of
it"-failed. Finally a year ago it
began to assume a more practical
shape, and the company then work.
ing it took the contract from firm
of New York publishers to repro
duce the encyclopaedia. Like many
new things the process was "cranky,"
and refused to work practically and
steadily enough to produce the result
aimed at. The thing dragged along,
until finally last April the company
made an assignment, and its plant
and patent were bought out by a for
mer member of the Boston Globes
staff. He saw what simple changes
were needed to make the process a
success, and now plates for the
new popular reprint of the ency-
clopadia are being turned out COM
plete and ready for the press at the
rate of 800 a week, while it seems
that in the near future there will be
practically no limit to the number of
books that may be reproduced with
out setting line of type.
1t is the simplest thing in the
world-that is to explain on paper.
Gelatine, when prepared by the secret
process, has the property of becom-
ing almost as hard as metal when
kept in the dark. When in a liquid
state it is run out into thin sheets
about type high"
There is nointernational copyright.
A copy of the English edition of the
encyclopaedia is cut up and carried
to the photographers room in this
engraving establishment. The pa
ges are put in front of large cameras
and photographed. The result is a
black and white negative-densely
black and absolutely translucent,
making fac simile of the type pages.
In the negative the black part of the
page-that is, the type matter-is
translucent, and the white part of
hepage-thatis, the paper-is dense
ly black.
These negatives are next placed in
frames over the sheets Of gelatine
and exposed to the sunlight. Where
the sun shines through the negative
the gelatine becomes almost as hard
as metal; where the black portion of
the negative protects the gelatine, it
remains soft and soluble. The gela-
tine sheet thus "printed" is taken
into a dark room and washed with
brush and ordinary water. The
soluable portion disappears, leaving
the hardened part-that is, the type
standing up in bold relief. tits prac-
tically exactly like a page of type
set up ready for the press. The gel.
atine plate is then electrotyped and
from these electrotypes the book
printed.
The illustrations are made in the
same way. A dot or line so fine
that it can be seen only with the aid
of microscope "comes out" in the
negative, and the minute ray of the
sun that shines through that infinites-
imal aperture hardens its infnitesi-
NAL molecule of gelatine.
English and other uncopyrighted
works are now being reproduced by
American publishers cheaper than
they can be set in type, and without
the trouble and delay of looking oyer
proof sheets, etc. AS leather goes into
one end of machine and comes out
finished shoe at the other, SO Eng
lish books 90 into this machine one
day, and the next day plates come
out complete from which American
editions may he printed. Cuts are
clipped from foreign books and pc
riodicals, go through thisprocess, and
in a few days adorn our American